Sailing and stuff

Back from our week in Sydney - very very humid every day. The sailing was great apart from the problems which Grant had - boat delaminating and spreaders and trapeze wire breaking. But they had a brilliant day when they led for 2/3rds of the race and came second.


On the Rugby front, the Hurricanes won for the third week in a row but the Western Force still needs lots of local support and more experience and no more injuries.


On the home front, not much. The painter has painted one coat inside the studio and the trims outside - just as well we are not having to camp in the back garden.

pic of me

I can't work out how to add my pic with newly coloured fuschia hair to my profile so you will have to look at it here instead. Off for a week to Sydney to watch Grant sail in the 18ft worlds - should be a good week for writing, reading, drawing and stitching as well.

digitising a bit

it's very humid here today and we have been extremely busy with orders the past two days. The painter has been all day and is working on the cedar around all the windows. I expect it is pretty hot out there for him. Looks good though. I am putting up a an H letter I digitised for another H book - I like playing with text but I need to explore more. Off to a concert tonight with the Australian Chamber Orchestra which should be great - called The Travellers and features Richard Tognetti (and the orchestra) and an Oud and Egyptian Percussion

Exciting Sunday

The weather is very humid and therefore revolting - best stay indoors and hibernate but instead I went to Mandurah with few others on a bus to see the Fragile Objects - Earth Coverings exhibition. Mandurah is Australia's fastest growing city. I haven't been into the main area for at least 10 years - usually drive through fast. Fabulous Performing Arts building though and good exhibition. The work has come from a workshop run by Glenys Mann 2004 and 2005. This piece is partof one of Glenys' works - horizons #41 Are We There Yet? involving plant dyed wool cloth, rusted. Plant dyed wool yarn. Hand stitched.

I am promising myself that as soon as the studio is finished I am going to have a day paper making, rusting papers, burying fabrics etc in the garden and some natural dyeing.

The evening, though, was a disaster as I pushed something wrong on my computer and the screen turned upside down and I had no idea how to fix it. Thanks to a kindly techie in the UK, though, all back the right wayup this morning. Not that much of a downunder girl!

bodice sample

this is a sample for a bodice I am making for my Art to Wear entry this year. Hand dyed scrim for the bottom with needlefelting off-cuts and felted wool and throwsters waste. I have been working on my embellisher but just have to find the space to set it up each time and put it away - well on the floor with its cover on. Not really any space for it at present. I am planning to knit and crochet some bits and pieces to add to it. I have bought a fabulous book which has given me lots of inspiration - Roberta Furlanetto - Tessare Weave. It's full of lots of her work from a few years back but great inspiration for the embellisher and general textiley sort of stuff.

I have added some links which I hope are interesting - the Kawakawa Hundertwasser toilets, Waheke Island which we loved, the villa we satyed at in Portugal which I would recommend to anyone and my son Bruce's photo gallery - pics he took down the South West of Western Australia.

Rugby Union

Today is the start of the Super 14 Rugby Season and while the big game in Perth is the Western Force vs the ACT Brumbies; my team, the Hurricanes, is playing Auckland Blues in Auckland. Let's hope they win. Given up on the painter but apparently the patio starts on Monday - if the painter comes as well there will be a crowd. Pic is of a pre-season game vs Brumbies which the Hurricanes won. Update - my team won! 19 - 37 to the Hurricanes.

'nother H house page

This is the back of yesterday's page - you should be able to see a self portrait if H but it hasn't scanned very well. Never mind - the surrounds are knitted rayon bonded to a surface and stitched and burnt out. I like working this method and like to think of it as mine but I notice a few people have taken up on it.

Matching paints for the studio this morning - getting there. Norm, the builder, was around to see the painter at work - as are we all....... - maybe tomorrow.

I have finally unpacked all the stuff from Melbourne Quilt Show so should be able to get on with my own work next.

Just enjoying a lovely curry left over from last night first.

another H house

This is another H house I have made which will bear fruition in June with the others - they are all part of a book. I am working on a new collection of machine threads - this lot is called The Artists Collection and believe it or not, the first colour is Hundertwasser. For any artist it is difficult to select their 5 colours which is what makes up a variegated for me, but I have chosen these colours for this thread. Have to get onto the next ones soon. Thinking Van Gogh for number 2.

Pleased to say the humidity has run away today and both of us have more energy - starting to think we were worn out yesterday. Paul, the architect, came and gave us jobs to do for the studio so we have chosen the paint and Ian has been out painting samples. Then we have to choose the door handle but I was brain dead after all the things that make up the door handle. Glad we are not building a house. Hopefully the painter will come and start tomorrow.

The Constant Gardener

On Sunday we went to this film which was fabulous - the photography really amazing. Ian read the book a few years back, but I don't really like John Le Care's writing style so I hadn't bothered. However the film is extremely powerful and makes you think seriously about the influence of pharmaceutical companies on our lives. We don't go to films often enough. By the time we get there they are on their last run but at least the theatre is nearly empty.

Hundertwasser House

This is a needlefelted H house I made - it is part of a H house book which should bear fruition in June. Sad to say the painting man didn't come to do the windows today - hopefully tomorrow. Maybe he is a Kiwi as it is Waitangi Day. We are going to have a bbq and imagine he has been and worked hard all day.

new atc

Never as good as the first one but I made this little H ATC with a foot so he can always make his way home if he falls into the wrong hands

new studio view

This the view through my studio towards the back of our house - lots of glass and this is going to be Ian's and my Darby and Joan section - the floor is polished concrete. We will be able to sit here and drink our wine and read our books whilst contemplating life.

Studio

I should put a new photo of my studio up but I am still testing my ability to load pics. This one was taken at the end of December but more things have happened since. Builders and their offsiders have a long break in Australia from what I can see but last week the 'quaint' shed we had has been bowled and the ground levelled for the patio. Hopefully the cedar frames etc will be coated this week and the inside and outside walls painted. The outside walls with a lime wash.

loose ends link

good and bad start to the day - I have finally managed to add my link to Loose Ends but twice? Everything is a new learning curve so it will upwards and onwards from here.

Exhaustion Day

well this has been an exhausting day - it has taken me all day to be able to load my ATC - I have given up the main computer and have reveretd to my laptop - much better idea. Today we went off to look at lime wash paints for the studio and called into a lighting shop on the way home. All the lights must have had a bad effect on me as I got all giddy and therefore wasted my day! Stopped by to watch no 2 son, Bruce, start his yacht race - they were first around the first mark but we left because we always seem to cause them bad luck.

I am loading the first major work I have done for the year - Handiwerks (which is upside down btw)- enjoying this needlefelting - it's very relaxing. I am planning to use my blog wisely and load all the little bits and pieces as I work through. My gallery page on the web is always at the end of the line and this is a way to show my progress.

My H ATC

Just wanted to post a pic of my little ATC which some kind soul stole from me at the Melbourne Quilt Convention. I know they are for trading but since this was the first one I have ever made and is in Cloth Paper Scissors I thought I would keep it. I shall make another but it always leaves a sour taste in the mouth every time it happens.

got here

It has taken me ages to set up this blog - maybe it doesn't work so well for downunders. However I shall be cooking with gas from now on